BSN Only Is A Wall Street Scam

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The push for Magnet status and BSN Only is rooted firmly in fraud. As usual, this Wall Street scam has many players and angles. To those that study propaganda and disaster capitalism; the latest from the CEO class is testament to how dumbed down the average worker has become in America.

I went to NSG school 16 years ago. The cost for a ADN at a major university, minus grants, was about 12 grand. My alma mater wants over 50 grand for me to finish my BSN. A full 90% of that BSN will be done on line. That my fellow brothers and sisters is a CEO wet dream come true. Very little staff or facility cost to eat into that profit margin.

One of reasons CEOs want BSNs is because of the student debt factor. We all know what kind of work nursing is. Short staffing is the norm since I became a nurse. Ancillary staff is always in short supply and often has a less than perfect attitude. The short term profit motive takes priority over patient care and safety today, so much so that managers don't even try to hide it or make excuses for it. We know what this leads to, another shortage. The CEOs want to the next generation of RNs deep in debt. RNs that owe 40 to 100 grand (common with the cost of education today) in student loans will think twice before leaving NSG to have kids or find work in less demanding professions. Try to unionize ?? Not too many RNs will rock the boat on any issue that bucks the bottom line. Try to improve staffing or patient care ?? My loan cost about 120 a month for 10 years, the new RNs will fight for very little thanks to the cost of school today and the CEOs know it.

Online schools are the biggest players in this scam. Online education schools can cost as much as an ivy league school, with the taxpayer footing the bill. Online schools offer many degrees to students across the country. NSG plays a major role in keeping these failed schools green with your tax dollars. Online schools are a failure across the board.

Most students that in-role will never graduate. The few students that do graduate will find their degree worthless in today's job market. The default rate on the student loans paid to these schools will make even the most jaded taxpayer want to vomit. NSGs role in all this is simple. Online schools are forced to operate under a 90/10 rule. If online schools can get just 10% of students to graduate or just 10% to find a job, the online schools can continue to get government (taxpayer) money for the other 90%. Non BSN RNs are proven students. Non BSN RNs have a track record of success in academics and will more than likely finish any online program. Non BSN RNs when they enter these programs most likely have a job and will have that job when they graduate. Are you putting this together yet ?? The push for the BSN Only is a propaganda ploy from Wall Street funded PR firms. Edward Brenays would be proud. The more non BSN RNs that attend online schools, the more students the online schools can in-role and get paid for. It is important to mention that the 90/10 rule was forced on the schools by congress because of the dismal default rate. The schools win, the Wall Street Investors win, hospital CEOs win, the non nursing students that drop out lose and the American taxpayers lose. NSG will lose as well. Workers that are trapped because of debt become slaves to the greed of the system. The greed of this system will hurt the patients we care for.

Sorry, I hit the "Send" tab by mistake !!!!!
This is a first draft only. It has a few type errors and still needs some work. I am a male RN with big thumbs. One tiny bit off and my work went into the net before I realized what happened. I must also tell you that I am a regular working stiff with no writing experience at all. Once again, I am sorry for hitting the send key far too early. Feel free to contact me at rnreb@me.com about this first attempt to become the next Chomsky/ Hedges.

You seem to have paid a lot for your degree. My ADN was $7500 and my BSN will cost me $18k only because im out of state. If I lived in that state my BSN would cost $5000. I just graduated this May with my ADN. I chose the out of state BSN program for the fact it is one of this regions best medical professions school. Was your alma mater a private school? I have a friend who paid half of what I did for her ADN. My alma mater is very respected and most hospitals will give the job to a student from there over the BSN prepared student from the local private school (also well known nationwide for health professions excellence). So I dont feel that I went to a lesser school. Im just shocked they want so much for your BSN. Even at that private school the rn-bsn program would have only been $30k max (less if you had more classes completed).

I think you missed the point. Many parties have an interest in pushing non BSN RNs back to school. Non BSN RNs are being used to rip off the American public. If the online schools can get one non BSN RN in a seat then that school can continue to recruit students that have little chance of ever graduating. These online schools are raking in billions of your tax dollars by admitting students that do not belong in college. The cost of my program vs what you paid has nothing to do with it. CEOs want RNs that are deep in student loan debt. Workers burdened with financial debt are much more flexible and less likely to fight for better patient care. The push for BSN Only, is a PR propaganda ploy. It's goals are anti labor and anti nurse. One of the end results will be an educational system that is flat broke and in need of more tax dollars.

However, let me address your point if I understand it correctly. I live in Phila, Pa. I work with nurses that owe 100,000 grand in student loans for a BSN. They did not attend the city's only ivy league school. I would have to say that the cost of a BSN at one the areas private schools is in the 60 to 80 grand range. At Temple U. the city's state school, tuition will run from 12 to 15 to 20 grand a year depending on grant status.

Im just saying im not loaded down with debt and most the nurses I know do not owe a lot either. There are a lot more online programs that are geared toward just nursing and cost very little to where most could pay out of pocket if needed. I do not feel that most schools are really using non bsn rn's in an online program purely to make money. There are some colleges that do that. I feel that there is no difference in how a bsn nurse cares for a patient versus an adn nurse but the extra courses do prepare for management. In my area, omaha, ne, there is a very little pay difference between a bsn and an adn. I guess I just dont see how it is propaganda from talking to my school and other schools across the nation. How would the western governors university fit into your scheme (im honestly interested and not being snarky)? It was created by governors of I want to say like 12 states and offers programs in nursing, business, and teaching. It is accredited, online, and costs as little as $7000 to get your bsn. Would this be the governments response to the other universities making more money from the non bsn rns and completing the 90/10? It is the cheapest school I found to complete a bsn for an adn prepared student.

Im just saying im not loaded down with debt and most the nurses I know do not owe a lot either. There are a lot more online programs that are geared toward just nursing and cost very little to where most could pay out of pocket if needed. I do not feel that most schools are really using non bsn rn's in an online program purely to make money. There are some colleges that do that. I feel that there is no difference in how a bsn nurse cares for a patient versus an adn nurse but the extra courses do prepare for management. In my area, omaha, ne, there is a very little pay difference between a bsn and an adn. I guess I just dont see how it is propaganda from talking to my school and other schools across the nation. How would the western governors university fit into your scheme (im honestly interested and not being snarky)? It was created by governors of I want to say like 12 states and offers programs in nursing, business, and teaching. It is accredited, online, and costs as little as $7000 to get your bsn. Would this be the governments response to the other universities making more money from the non bsn rns and completing the 90/10? It is the cheapest school I found to complete a bsn for an adn prepared student.

The 90/10 rule lets schools admit students into programs that should never be near a college. Think of a kid that has a C average in math. The kid wants to be a rocket scientist but gets rejected by every school in the world. One of these online schools will admit him, the online school will admit nine other kids just like him if they can get just one non BSN RN into a slot. The online school can get funding for nine kids that have no chance of ever finishing the program because they were able to hook just one non BSN RN.

IMO, the problems are the proprietary (for-profit) schools and the overall inflation in the cost of higher education across the US, not the general concept of higher education for nurses. I agree with bubblejet50 that it does make a difference how much various schools charge for nursing programs. I would be running, not walking, away from any school that wanted me to pay $50k for a BSN completion program. I completed a BSN at a respectable state university program for <$10,000 (and it was even a decent program). If there are people out there willing to pay $50k for a BSN completion program, well ... as PT Barnum supposedly said, there is a sucker born every minute.

I agree that the cost of higher education in general is getting out of control in the US, but no one is holding a gun to anyone's head and forcing him or her to take out huge amounts of student loans. People are free to make choices for themselves, even really stupid choices. I hope that the government will clamp down even harder on the proprietary schools (I would love to see them all put out of business), but the OP's main thesis sounds a little "over the top" to me.

I am not a huge fan of the 'rush to Magnet' right now. The initial research findings seem to have gotten lost in the hype as it has turned into a major revenue stream for ANA. But the essential fact remains, increased percentage of BSN staff have a positive impact on clinical quality.

It is my understanding the WGU is NOT publicly funded (government) entity, but does claim to be non-profit. Their tuition is less than some, but still waaaay higher than traditional education. I don't have enough info on outcomes to form an opinion on them yet.

I kind of have to agree with rick on the core theory- I must admit I am not to up on the wall street gang but the hospital CEO's game plan- Oh yah! I think there is a lot of truth to what rick is saying about the push for BSN only and that student loan debt keeping nurses mouth's shut and cowing down to the big man and his twisted self serving greed. Nurses with that kind of student loan debt- and many of them do, are less likely to protest and speakout on the pee poor sub standard staffing, incompetence and dirty conditions that prevail in our hospitals across the country these days. I am very familiar with the costs and the institutions that rick speaks of and his price quote is right on target. A few of the Brick and mortor schools- Jefferson and Drexel to be specific, that he speaks of in the Philly area have both the traditional in person classroom and on line prgrams- they are very well respected, well known nursing programs. The on line RN-BSN program of both, will cost the prices he quotes. If one needs all the general edu. courses to get the BSN- it can easily cost $50,000 for that RN-BSN. I don't think Penn. has an online BSN - it's in person will cost $53,000/year at least. I am not familiar with Temple's tuition costs but it's only a few blocks away from the other 3, so I imagine it's close in price. An if you look at the authors in Nursing on these BSN outcomes studies and pushing the BSN entry level- you will find the authors to be some of the BSN professors of Penn.- Linda Aiken! When I see these articles I always look to see who is the author first- gives me a clue as to what I'm in for when I read it. Penn is a very snobby bunch- that hospital only hires BSN's and usually their own. As a travel nurse, I was fortunate to be able to compare the qualities of nursing with other hospitals- I have to admit- I much preferred to get report form a nurse from one of the hospital schools of nursing than a BSN from Penn- I found the Penn Nurses to be very well versed on global health but not much help on the patient in the bed down the hall. JMHO

Global health is nice if you plan to do a stint at the WHO or the Peace corps. but not of much use to bedside nurses in the US